Removing Smoke and Nicotine Stains from Your Moustache

One site visitor asked about removing nicotine and smoke stains from his moustache. There are a number of ways to deal with this and restore you moustache to better looks and condition. Here are a few. Be aware that I have not used these and cannot personally attest to their effectiveness or “safety” and cannot say what they will do to the condition of your hair. After application of any of these I recommend applying a good hair conditioner or a bit of jojoba oil.

Place 1 tbsp. baking soda in a bowl with1 1/2 tsp. hydrogen peroxide OR water, and stir both ingredients to make a paste. Apply this to your moustache. The peroxide will not bleach your hair as it isn’t strong enough. It will digest organic deposits and the pigments deposited by the smoke. If you don’t want to use the peroxide or don’t have any just use water. The baking soda will help loosen as well as scrub off the stains. Massage the mix gently in your moustache allowing it to be on the hair for five to ten minutes and wash it out with warm water.

Wash your moustache clarifying shampoo which is designed to remove build up of all sorts from hair. Lather up the shampoo, then it sit on your facial hair for a few minutes and rinse it out. Use this daily to help combat buildup of stains.

For gray or white hair use Clairol’s Shimmer Lights. The product is a clarifying shampoo which removes build-up and has an additive that brightens light gray hair to a nice white. Wear gloves when using it as it may stain the fingernails. Simply apply a small amount of the shampoo and massage it into the mustache with a toothbrush. Let it sit for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly with warm water. You should see good results from the first application. Repeat if desired. Then, use daily until the stain is all gone. To avoid getting this shampoo in your mouth – I expect it tastes pretty not good – hold a dry wash cloth between your lips and apply the shampoo with a toothbrush while at the sink. When done just rinse it out at the faucet. If you do this in the shower you are bound to get it in your mouth.

There is also a formula of Shimmer Lights for blonde hair that works if your hair is blonde and not gray.

Another thing you might try is to wash your moustache with alcohol. Smoke can leave a resin on the hair and resins are dissolved by alcohol. If you don’t have alcohol issues try this. If the only strong alcohol you have is the beverage sort wash your moustache off with clarifying shampoo afterwards so you don’t reek of it. Be sure you do not get isopropyl or pharmacy-bought Ethanol (which is denatured with additives) in your mouth as they are toxic. Just wet a small cloth with the alcohol and wipe your moustache.

One treatment for abused hair I have heard of is to wash it with apple cider vinegar diluted with an equal amount of water. Another might be smoker’s tooth paste.

So there are a few answers for you. Try a few of them as they may work on different aspects of the stains. Let me know what worked for you.